


Under My Wing

by Dragoncat (Dragoncat1991)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: "White Flames" AU, Bratty Prince, Gen, Past Character Death, Step Uncle, double agent dorothea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28028850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragoncat1991/pseuds/Dragoncat
Summary: Dimitri deals and bonds with Edelgard's son after her death. For the Step by Step zine.
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Petra Macneary, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Dorothea Arnault/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Edelgard von Hresvelg/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14
Collections: Step By Step: A Dimitri & Edelgard Siblings Zine





	Under My Wing

Fort Merceus, or what was left of it. Which was hardly anything at all. Nothing but rubble. The javelin of light, that amazing yet terrifying weapon used by the vicious underground society known as Agartha. King Dimitri hadn't been there personally to see it, but Archduke Claude had described it in vivid detail.

That had been nearly thirty years ago. The war had been named the Fell Star’s War, even though the one known as Fell Star had actually ended it, not started it. All three nations rallied under new Archbishop Byleth Eisner, who had embraced Agartha's name for him - The "Fell Star." Agartha - also known as "Those Who Slither In The Dark" - were found to have been pulling the strings of chaos for decades underground, making them the opposing force in the war. The current Archbishop had saved all three new nation leaders from the mindless, pointless slaughter, which had earned him their respect.

The Faerghus King was on his way to the Imperial capital with a simple and heartfelt purpose. Long ago, Dimitri had a friend. A stepsister who was heir to the Adrestian throne, and the Empress who had started the war once inheriting the crown. Dimitri had heard news of her recently. Her health had been declining rapidly, and now she was gone. She had left her own heir behind, a son in his late twenties. Dimitri couldn't help but pity him - he was just a kid in comparison. He must be feeling as broken as the ruins of Fort Merceus right now. He needed an older ruler to lean on as a mentor, and Dimitri intended to do just that.

He stood up and immediately heard hoofbeats running away. He hadn't noticed the whitetail doe until she ran away, having hid in his blind spot where his eye patch was, attributing his title as the"One Eyed Lion". It was a war wound that weakened his sight but strengthened his hearing. The sight of the doe put a smile on Dimitri's face as he cleaned up the remains of his lunch - a roast beef sandwich with a wheel of gouda cheese. It was a sign that, despite the ruin, life went on. One way or another.

As the Imperial capital, Enbarr, loomed in the distance, Dimitri turned to the carriage driver who had brought him here. "I can take it from here." He placed a handful of coins in the driver's hand. "Thank you. Stay safe on the way back."

Two days later, the king reached Songbird Outpost. Songbird Outpost - which received its name from the trimonthly visits from Enbarr's Mittlefrank Opera Company - used to be insignificant compared to Fort Merceus due to being just a tiny outpost. Now, it appeared to be stocked with guards armed to the teeth, which was understandable with Fort Merceus gone.

"HALT!" a guard shouted from the lookout tower above the gate. "All visitors must be allowed by me, Count Bergliez!"

"Cedric, dammit, you yelled so loud you made me jump. You Bergliezes really never change."

"Sorry, Jasper."

Count Hevring and Count Bergliez. The latter had only been Count for roughly ten years, as he was the eldest son of the former Count Bergliez. Dimitri had been in the Officer's Academy at Garreg Mach with Jasper's son and Cedric's brother. Linhardt Hevring, the lazy but brilliant mage. Caspar Bergliez, the loudmouth brawler. Dimitri always found it amusing how close those two had been. They were mere acquaintances, but memorable. Now his daughter was preparing to go to Garreg Mach, like her brother before her. It was the most prestigious academy on the continent. Dimitri thought of his Queen Ingrid back in Faerghus having to handle things in his absence and work with admissions for their daughter at the same time and smiled. Ingrid would manage, and Leah had big brother Kion around for support as well.

“King Dimitri Blaiddyd. I’m not here for trouble.” Dimitri placed the lance he was carrying on the ground and stepped away from it.

Shuffling sounds were heard from the tower, then Cedric’s voice again. “O-oh, I see! Yes ma’am! Never been interested in those myself but major respect!”

Dimitri’s double agent had clearly made it to the outpost. Dorothea the songstress was a pretty face with brains and talent. She was married to Dimitri and Ingrid’s childhood friend, Sylvain, and they had five children, two of which had graduated from the Officer’s Academy already. It was Ingrid who had contacted her and asked her to help with this mission.

Since Dorothea still sang for the Mittlefrank Opera in Enbarr, and had been doing so regularly now since the kids were grown enough to not need their mother as much, she was in the perfect position to inform them of the state of Empire politics and the “Boy Emperor.” “Poor dear,” her reply had said. “He’ll probably take some work before he opens up. He is Edie’s son after all. Hers and Hubie’s, goddess above, the perfect combination for stubbornness. Hubie himself, I haven’t seen him since Edie’s funeral. I hope he’s alright. His son’s a daddy’s boy, mostly, but of course he misses his mom.”

The rosy brown haired beauty stepped through the gate. She was wearing a simple cloak over her dress, nothing fancy, as she often went casual when not performing. “You and your fur capes, Dimmy.” Always the nicknames with her. A loud snort came from the tower followed by a shuffle. Cedric _would_ find that hilarious.

Dorothea looked up into the tower. “I’ll lead him to his private showing.” The plan was to make the guards, and most who asked, believe that Dimitri was attending a private opera showing. The gate was opened, and the king and double agent disappeared into the outpost.

Cedric let out a faint whistle. “The mystical Mittlefrank songstress. Stunning. Once wondered if my little brother would try to court her, but he didn’t. Gotta love my wild islander nephew. He wouldn’t be him if his mother wasn’t from Brigid.”

“She is something else,” Jasper agreed with a sigh. “That nephew of yours, I can’t tell if his wildness comes from his mother or his father.”

Cedric shrugged. “Both.”

Dorothea led Dimitri to an empty theater in Enbarr and sat beside him in the audience area, giggling like a schoolgirl when he crammed himself into a seat that was almost too small for him. “Well, I do have some good news. Hubie has been spotted in the city. He’s always flanked by guards and he looks so depressed, but he is well otherwise.”

Dimitri nodded. “Hubert never showed much emotion at all back in the day. What of Astor?”

“Poor baby used to strut around Enbarr like he owned it. Now every time I see him, he, too, is flanked by guards and he doesn’t make a peep. I don’t even know what he’s doing. He comes out irregularly.”

“I see,” Dimitri replied. “And how are you handling this? Edelgard was your classmate.”

Dorothea shrugged. “Lin pulled all of us from the Class of 1185 Black Eagles aside at the funeral, even Petra made the trip from Brigid, which was sweet of her. Caspy has Brigid tattoos now - I did a double take! But he looks like he belongs there. Anyway it was me, Lin, Ferdie, Caspy, Bernie, and Petra. Lin told me he had offered to remove Edie’s crest implant years ago, but she refused, saying she had accepted her shortened lifespan and she was going to make a mark on Fodlan with the time she had left. She succeeded at that.” 

The academy at Garreg Mach had three classes. Black Eagles for the Empire, Blue Lions for the Kingdom, and Golden Deer for the Alliance. The nobility of Fodlan had several “crests” in their bloodlines that proved their lineage, each crest was a gene that got passed down and gave the person with it a certain talent or skill boost. The Agarthans had experimented with sinister magic to give noble children crests they were not born with. Most of the victims of this died, but Edelgard survived, although with the fate of a shortened lifespan from eventual kidney failure. Linhardt, son of Jasper, was a genius mage and healer. Of course he would be the one to figure out how to reverse it.

“I was afraid that was what killed her.” Dimitri hung his head. “She was never one to accept help from anybody. When we were kids too.”

“It is what it is, Dimmy. You’re a total sweetheart for what you’re doing.” Dorothea smiled. “Now don’t you worry your big blond head. I will make sure your note gets to Astor and I will make sure his reply gets to you. Also, I will give you a private showing. For free. Just for fun!”

Dimitri blinked, although with only one good eye and the other patched up, it looked more like a wink. “I would have paid you for the help. If you wanted to give me a showing, I’d pay you for that too. Thank you so much.”

Two more opera singers approached from the back of the stage and regarded Dimitri with mild interest. Dorothea grinned at them. “Girls, don’t get any ideas, he’s taken and my friend Ingrid would kick my rear end if I let you touch him! But let’s give him his show!”

One day later, Dimitri was staying at Sunny Villa, an expensive inn in Enbarr. Not that he was overly picky, but he was used to it, and he did need the security an expensive inn would provide. It came with being the King of Faerghus. 

Room service had dropped off an envelope sent from the Mittlefrank Opera House. Inside was a second envelope addressed to “Kingdom Ambassador” and sent from “Enbarr Imperial Palace.” No doubt about it, this was the Boy Emperor’s reply.

_Kingdom Ambassador:_

_You contacted me at kind of a bad time. My late mother didn’t handle all of the bureaucracy and everything needed for me to take the throne, so I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. However, my father and I agree: this was a nice surprise and break from it all._

_The place I request is the Adlerkralle Garden. It is off the west end of the main marketplace that has a fountain with an eagle statue. It’s next to the restaurant called ‘The Shemp.’ The sign for ‘The Shemp’ has a picture of a fat man wearing glasses holding a fancy staff, you can’t miss it._

_Be there at 5 pm, tomorrow, the 11th of Horsebow Moon. I will not wait longer than fifteen minutes. Bring this letter along for proof of your identity. Meet me at the picnic tables._

_Signed:_

~~_Black Eagle Leader_~~ _Emperor Astor Volkhard Hresvelg_

Dimitri smiled slightly. Kid must’ve forgotten he wasn’t in school anymore for a minute.

The Adlerkralle Garden was a maze of hedges, rocks, and water features. There was a memorial plaque at the entrance with the names of those who had suffered and died at the hands of the dark Agarthan mages carved into it. There was the former Emperor Ionius IX, Baron Volkhard Arundel - who had been Edelgard’s uncle - and Edelgard herself at the bottom, under the names of all her siblings and her mother. The carving of her name was fresh, as if it had only been added a week ago. Dimitri stopped in front of it for a minute of silence before making his way to the picnic tables at the center. Thank goodness there were signs to point the way.

The Boy Emperor was sitting at the table with an iron axe by his feet. Understandable. He had to be prepared for assassination attempts. From what Dimitri’s son Kion had told him about Astor, there had to be some magic tomes concealed in his coat as well. He looked up when he heard Dimitri approach. He blinked, then put on a sour facial expression. “King of Faerghus, ‘One Eyed Lion.’ Why are you here? Leave, I have business.”

Dimitri walked over and placed Astor’s letter in front of him. Astor let out a disapproving gasp and stood up. “You deceived me! I approved an ambassador!” The young emperor was a head or two shorter than the Faerghus King, and he was giving off vibes of a rooster bravely staring down a wildcat. Astor's eyes were yellow, not purple like his mother's had been, yet somehow, Dimitri felt like he was being glared at by Edelgard again.

"Do not blow me off."

"I will do whatever I damn well please in my city." Astor made a haughty huff and turned his back, beginning to stomp to the garden entrance.

Dimitri cleared the distance between them in a single leap. "Now _you_ listen!" He grabbed Astor's arm and pulled him back, producing a startled yip from the fledgeling emperor, and plopped him back down in front of him. Now the kid was a panicked rooster. It was a matter of time before the spurs came out.

"Don't think I don't know how you antagonized my son at Garreg Mach. But that is water under the bridge. I am here, _on my own accord_ , because I can help you."

"Help me do what?" Astor's tone was less cocky now, as it should be.

"Dealing with grief. I lost my parents when I was younger than you. Both of them. Be lucky you still have your father," Dimitri paused to release his grip from Astor's arm. "Your mother would approve of me mentoring you, you know."

“So it’s true?” Astor went back to the picnic table and sat down. “You really used to live in the same household as my mother?”

Dimitri sat on the other side of the table and nodded. “For several years. I used to consider her a sister.”

“Every time anyone in the palace brought it up, I thought it was a myth. I thought the old maids and servants were just making up stories.” There was an awkward pause before he continued. “But how do I know you’re not just in on the myth?” 

Dimitri thought for a moment. “Did she ever tell you what color her hair was before the Agarthans tortured her?”

Astor blinked and stiffened. “No. But Father did. Alright. Tell me what color her hair was. If you’re right, I’ll believe you.”

“Brown.” Dimitri said. “A light brown. Often with two purple ribbons.” The sinister experiments that Edelgard had been a victim of had turned her hair white, and it had been white for the majority of her life.

Astor made a noise that sounded like a sigh plus a whimper. “I believe you. I still want a good reason as to why you deceived me in order to meet me. I'd need a good enough reason that the council would allow. Dammit. Stay here, I’ll be back.” He got up and left the garden.

Dimitri waited five minutes until the unmistakable black fluffy haired head of Astor poked out from behind a hedge. “You want food? I just went and got a large meal of sauteed pheasant and eggs from The Shemp. Their larges are enough to feed a baby horse. Sauteed pheasant and eggs are my comfort food and I need to eat to think straight. Both my parents like it. Or liked it.”

Dimitri felt that. Poor kid. “Sure, thank you.”

“Do you want the scrambled eggs with cheese or hard boiled? There’s both here.”

“Scrambled with cheese.”

Astor put the box of food down on the table and handed Dimitri one of the forks. Dimitri thanked him and took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before he spoke. “When your mother and I were young kids, we would eat scrambled eggs with cheese for breakfast all the time.” Astor shrugged in response. “Right. You needed a reason,” Dimitri continued. “On the way here I passed by Fort Merceus. How about I sponsor rebuilding it?”

“Yeah, that works.” Another brief silence. “Can you tell me a story about Mother? Something from her childhood?” The look in Astor’s round yellow eyes was breaking Dimitri’s heart. “She never told me much. Neither did Father. And he’s not going to.”

Dimitri nodded and smiled. It was taking all of his restraint to not reach over and pat the poor kid’s head. “Okay. You remember Karel Fraldarius from the academy? Or his father, Felix?” Astor nodded. “I knew Felix from a young age too,” Dimitri continued. “When we were, I think seven years old, Felix was over. The rest of our friend group wasn’t able to show up that day, and for some reason we decided we were going to make your mother’s room into a man cave. Her room was on the top floor, and we just started throwing her belongings out the window. We were about to shove her toy box out when she showed up and literally screeched at us. She sounded like an angry eagle. I got disciplined for that, of course, and the next time it rained, she pushed me down in a mud puddle telling me it was payback.”

“Heh!” Astor laughed. “Okay, you know the mascot for The Shemp? I thought he was my uncle when I was around that age. I guess I kept asking who he was and my parents got tired of my prodding and saying they didn’t know. I believed the great uncle my middle name came from was a weird fat man until I found a book with sketches of various Empire nobles and he was in it. I was twelve. I believed that for at least six years!”

“BAHAHAHA!”

Lord Hubert’s ears perked up at the sound of that laugh. He knew what his laugh sounded like, and that sounded nearly identical. Either he was going senile and hearing things, or someone had some advanced device that recorded sounds and was mocking him.

“Heh, wow.” One of the guards smirked and elbowed his buddy. “Doesn’t the new Emperor sound like his father?” The guard then turned to Hubert. “I don’t know what he finds funny, milord, but he sounds just like you. You must be proud.”

“Stay here. Do not move.” Hubert told both guards. They nodded and saluted as he ran toward the sound, which was conveniently right across the road.

There was a fence he could look through to the other side, the gardens. The picnic tables were in full view. Was that King Dimitri? Hubert did a double take. It appeared that the Faerghus King had gotten Hubert’s son to smile again. Whatever happened here, Hubert would find out, but for now...

_“Lady Edelgard. He’s thriving.”_


End file.
